Getting to know Brian Serven, the catcher the Blue Jays claimed off waivers

Funnily enough, this isn’t the first time the Jays have claimed a player recently designated for assignment by the Cubs, as they picked up left-handed reliever Brendon Little earlier in the off-season

Speaking of earlier in the season, the Blue Jay actually had a catcher on the 40-man roster, but designated Tyler “The Magician” Heineman for assignment, where he was promptly picked up on waivers by the New York Mets.

Serven was selected in the fifth-round of the 2016 draft by the Colorado Rockies, the only organization he’s ever played a game for. He made his major league debut in 2022, where he slashed .203/.261/.332 with six homers in 205 plate appearances for a 52 wRC+. He also played 11 games with the Rockies in 2023, where he had a .130/.130/174 slash line with a double and a -42 wRC+.

The 28-year-old was claimed this off-season by the Cubs, but was designated for assignment less than a week later as the Cubs traded for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte.

Serven has a bit of success in the minor leagues, as he hit .268/.326/.488 with 12 home runs in 337 plate appearances for a 114 wRC+ in 2018 while in High-A. In 2021 in Triple-A, Serven slashed .250/.308/.504 with 16 home runs in 276 plate appearances for a 93 wRC+.

The catcher had success with Colorado’s Triple-A team before the 2022 call up as well, as he had a .273/.406/.506 slash line with five home runs in just 96 plate appearances for a 129 wRC+.

Serven graduated in 2022, and the catcher was ranked as Colorado’s 16th-best prospect at the time. Fangraphs gave him a 40 hit tool, 40 game power tool, 45 raw power tool, 30 speed tool, and 50 fielding tool.

It’s likely that the catcher will remain on the 40-man roster as the Jays need a third catcher to call up in case of injury. Still, there may be a chance he’ll get a handful of opportunities with Toronto.